JAMMU: Chief Secretary, Atal Dulloo, while chairing a joint meeting of Civil administration and Security forces, remarked that joint efforts by the Agriculture Production Department, concerned district administrations and security forces should be made to encourage the farmers to cultivate the land patches between the fence and International Border (IB).
The meeting, which was attended by the Principal Secretary, APD; Principal Secretary, Home Department; the IG, BSF; Deputy Commissioner, Kathua/Jammu/Samba/Poonch and Rajouri, along with other officers, was called to discuss different measures to help the farmers to take up these lands for cultivation.
During the meeting, the Chief Secretary impressed upon the concerned to encourage the farmers to cultivate all the arable land between the fence and the International Border. He maintained that irrespective of the status of such lands, these should be put to productive use to add to our local food basket.
He further made out that these farmers should be facilitated by the Agriculture Department, besides being given assurances by the security forces about their security. He called upon them to give suitable advice to the farmers about the kind of food or fodder to be sown.
He also called for extending all possible assistance to these farmers so that all such fallow lands come into production from the next sowing season. He further directed the senior officers from the Agriculture Department to visit these districts to take cognisance of the issues and resolve them on the spot in consultation with the district administration and the security forces guarding the border there.
In his remarks, Principal Secretary, APD, Shailendra Kumar made out that the Department is ready to provide the necessary handholding to the farmers for cultivating these lands. He further advised the Deputy Commissioners to do the prior groundwork on the instant issue so that the obstacles are ironed out on the spot on the day of inspection.
On the occasion, a detailed assessment of land use between the International Border (IB) and the Border Security Fence was given by the IG, BSF. He also flagged some demands of the locals for successful cultivation of these lands, besides giving assurance on part of the forces that they would extend full cooperation to the locals for making productive use of these lands here in the UT.
